[View expanded program notes here.] Sharon Lavery, Conductor President Beong-Soo Kim, Narrator Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34 Benjamin Britten, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34 Ottorino Respighi, Pini di Roma, P. 141 (“Pines of Rome”) The USC Thornton Symphony opens its season under the baton of Professor Sharon Lavery, Resident Conductor and Chair of Winds and Percussion Department at the USC Thornton School of Music, with a program celebrating the extraordinary color, character, and expressive power of the symphony orchestra. Rimsky-Korsakov’s dazzling Capriccio espagnol transforms Spanish folk melodies into a vibrant orchestral showpiece, while Respighi’s monumental Pini di Roma (“Pines of Rome”) evokes the landscapes, memories, and pageantry of the Eternal City in a breathtaking display of orchestral grandeur. A special highlight of the evening features USC President Beong-Soo Kim joining the orchestra as narrator for Benjamin Britten’s beloved The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Through a series of imaginative variations on a theme by Henry Purcell, Britten introduces the orchestra's distinctive voices before bringing the full ensemble together in an exhilarating fugue finale. ABOUT USC PRESIDENT BEONG-SOO KIM As the 13th president of the University of Southern California, Beong-Soo Kim leads one of the world’s top private research universities — home to 23 schools; more than 46,000 students; 4,700 faculty; more than 500,000 alumni; and Keck Medicine of USC, one of California’s leading academic health systems — all united by a mission to advance knowledge and transform lives. Kim was appointed president by the USC Board of Trustees in February 2026, following seven months serving as interim president. As president, Kim launched the Open Dialogue Project, aimed at strengthening USC’s academic culture of engagement with differing perspectives. He also formed an AI Strategy Committee, and launched a number of university-wide initiatives to engage faculty, staff, and students on the opportunities and challenges posed by AI in research, the classroom, and operations. Recognizing the importance of the Trojan Family, Kim has focused on re-engaging alumni across the globe, including by relaunching alumni networks. He has also worked to strengthen USC’s partnerships with private industry, foundations, and local community organizations and leaders. Kim is recognized for his thought leadership on free expression and the future of higher education, and enjoys communicating with broader audiences and the Trojan Family through his presidential podcast, “Trojan Talks.” Kim first joined USC senior leadership in 2020 as senior vice president and general counsel. After helping the university navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, he resolved the university’s legacy legal issues, strengthened governance over the health system and health sciences schools, and enabled major investments in research and innovation. He has also been deeply involved in USC’s athletics programs, having served as a key member of the athletics department’s interim leadership team in 2023. Prior to USC, Kim held senior roles at Kaiser Permanente, was a partner at an international law firm, and served in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he led the major frauds section in Los Angeles. Kim has taught constitutional interpretation at Harvard, trial advocacy at the National Advocacy Center, and served as an adjunct professor at USC Gould School of Law. He is a frequent speaker on academic freedom, health system compliance, and the future of college athletics. The son of Korean immigrants who both attended graduate school at USC, Kim was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, where he attended local public schools before graduating Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from Harvard College. He earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and his law degree from Harvard Law School. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kim and his wife, Bonnie Wongtrakool, performed cello and piano “porch concerts” for their neighbors, reflecting their belief in the power of service, community, and the arts. Together, they have two children. -- Admission is free and open to the public with an RSVP. All Thornton Signature Series Events have a standby line for fully booked events. Seating is first-come, first-served. Please arrive early to claim your ticket and allow enough time for parking, locating the venue, and checking in. If you arrive less than five minutes before the start time, you will forfeit your spot to the waitlist/standby line.